Life Runners and Injuries That Come

Runners on your mark-

Get set-

BANG!

Growing up I was a sprinter. Short distances was my thing.

I never could imagine myself running the long distances.

The nice thing about sprinting is...

You can't think of anything BUT the sprint.

You don't have time.

Kind of like someone living a busy life.

In the moment...surviving day to day the best they know how

in this super fast past sprinting world.

What happens when injury occurs?

In a sprinters life this is hard.

A serious injury means little to no activity.

Pretty much torture to a sprinter.

Torture to her mind and her restless body that is so used to going.

The sprinter doesn't want to see or hear from it's other runner friends

because when it does it reminds the sprinter that the other runners are still going.

The sprinter is scared. 

The sprinter feels like a failure for this injury...

even though it wasn't the sprinters fault...the sprinter still feels like 

the failure. 

The sprinter feels like its body failed her.

The sprinter wonders and worries...secretly...

Will I ever get back on the track? 

And, if I do, will I ever be able to run the same?

The answer...

You will never be the same.

After such a traumatic injury, something inside of you will change.

You will be BETTER!

Sometimes you will be better or the same on the track.

Sometimes not.

Many times you will learn from your injury...what not to do...how not to fall.

Sometimes you may need to move on to the long distance running group.

Strong as you now are...you might have lost some explosion 

but you gained endurance.

In distance running, you need to focus but you have time 

to think about a lot.

It's crazy how things flash across your mind while running.

Sometimes those that have been injured hate this part of the process.

I totally get it.

The injured feel like they need only to focus on the shallow to get them to

the next "check point".

Crazy part is if you allow true healing to happen...the thoughts and emotions

to come and then to get back to the run...your mind would be

FREE and not TRAPPED!

My sweet friend Kendra is trapped!

Not only is she trapped but she is sinking.

She is a life sprinter!

Every time I'd ask her on the phone how things are, before the stroke,

 she'd answer..."crazy"

It was just her funny way of saying super busy and running like mad crazy:)

And then, 

as she was running FULL stride she...

a great sprinter in life

experienced the most traumatic experience she never dreamed.

She didn't sprain an ankle, break a leg, twist her back out....no.

Everything was taken from her in an instant!

Everything.

Her body 

Her family 

Her way of life 

Her self worth 

Her faith

Yet, she was spared to live.

But live she didn't want to.

Some are shocked and don't want to or can't understand why 

she would think this way.

They would say she has so much to live for...her awesome husband that

has stood by her and never leaves her side, her 4 kids that cry for momma

to come everyday to the Lord and to daddy.

Her awesome family....mother, father, and 2 awesome sisters...that love her so much!

All the friends that love her like family.

BUT

Like a sprinter injured and low, she wonders and worries...

if she'll ever get back to the life she had and be able to sprint.

She is ashamed of an injury that she had no control over.

Mad that her body and God did this to her.

She wants to be back but to get back it means she needs to 

trust and work with the things that hurt her the most...

her body and God.

I'm sure it pains her each time she walks.

As proud as she is and should be to walk a great distance...I'm sure

she then thinks, "I used to sprint that with no effort."

Each time I'm guessing she battles with a war of pride of accomplishment

and 

anger.

When I was up there, we had laughs.

The first time, she was very upset and crying...

She had seen her kids that day too.

As I sat with her and got through the tears and tried to make her laugh,

her husband came in and we all laughed about something he did.

He left and she smiled endearingly in his direction... like he's great right:)

And then tears...and she was upset again.

Someone mentions that they didn't understand why she was like that and

the next in deep sorrow.

I do.

She was a sprinter in life. She took care of her knight.

Her knight, who now so lovingly takes care of her.

Everything is not how it should be in her life...according to her.

As I have learned to run long distance I've learned to let some things

that I've never allowed in the front of my mind to surface.

While running it just happens...early on I tried to blink it out but 

now I say

'What ever you want to show me Lord, 

just help me make it to my next stopping point...I can do anything with you..

push my back Lord, lift my legs please.'

And my focus is on the Father and what He wants from me not what 

I want.

My friend is running a marathon.

One that she cannot see the stopping point

She's never ran one, she didn't train to run this and yet she was thrown 

into the pack and if she doesn't keep running she will be trampled.

To keep on she needs to put her trust and have faith in the 2 things

she feels have failed her the most in life at this moment.

Her body and God.

We, as her friends and family, know God has worked miracles

but she can only see a broken body being pieced back together.

A body that may or may not work the same.

Please Pray for my friend!

She needs uplifted.

She needs to put complete trust in God, as scary as it feels.

Pray for peace...Pray for acceptance...and for fight...Pray for her Kids!

Pray for her mom and dad who have to watch their oldest struggle.

Pray for her husband.

He will be her fight when she has none and he will keep the faith until hers returns 

but it breaks his big old heart to see his bride this way.

Pray for endurance.

Lastly, please pray for a complete recovery!

UNWIND:

Remember God somehow has everything in his control. 

Sometimes, during the hardest times it seems that if He does then 

this is wrong...that He does not love me. 

NOT TRUE!

If you keep focused on Him and see this battle through...as long or short as it 

might be...you will understand and you will see that God was there,

loving you, holding you through...even when you gave up on Him.